Adam Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has been a massive hit for Legendary, grossing over $560M at the worldwide box office and pulling in a 91% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a big-ass hit, the second that Wingard has delivered for this franchise, and one might be tempted to assume this means the director will be returning for the inevitable sequel. Well, about that…
According to a new report at The Hollywood Reporter, Wingard has officially stepped aside from directing the Godzilla x Kong sequel:
“Wingard, who has directed the last two of Legendary’s hit MonsterVerse movies, will not be returning for a third installment, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
The parting of ways is described as amicable and stemming from timing issues. The door remains open for a future return, per insiders.”
Yes, Wingard may very well return to the MonsterVerse somewhere up the road, but for the time being, someone else will need to slide into the director’s chair on the Godzilla x Kong sequel. What will Wingard be doing instead? A new, original project for A24:
“Wingard is coming off directing and co-writing Godzilla x Kong: New Empire, which has grossed over $564 million worldwide since its March 29 domestic opening. Wingard, who didn’t have a deal for any new installment, intoned he had more stories to tell during the press tour but also unveiled a new original feature project that he wanted to tackle before another monster movie. That project, an action thriller titled Onslaught, was picked up in a competitive sale by A24 and is prepping for a fall shoot.”
